Wireless Area Network Enabled Mobile Device Accessory

ABSTRACT

A wearable wireless portable device (“WWPD”) includes cellular/WAN communications circuitry for establishing a direct connection to a telecommunication network and a low-power short range radio for establishing an indirect connection to the telecommunication network via the communications circuitry of the more feature-rich mobile device. The WWPD may be configured to deactivate its cellular/WAN communications circuitry (and other resource such as GPS) to communicate with a more feature-rich mobile device (e.g., a smartphone) via low-power short range communication technologies when it is in close proximity to the mobile device, and activate its cellular/WAN circuitry to provide cellular and/or network connectivity when it is not in close proximity to the mobile device. The WWPD does not require the bulky battery systems, which enables the WWPD to be packaged into a small and lightweight device, such as a wrist watch or pendant and enables longer battery life for the battery of the WWPD.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. Non-Provisionalpatent application Ser. No. 14/053,411 entitled “Wireless Area NetworkEnabled Mobile Device Accessory” filed Oct. 14, 2013, which claims thebenefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.61/714,011 entitled “Wireless Area Network Enabled Mobile DeviceAccessory” filed Oct. 15, 2012, and U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/156,973 entitled “Wireless Area Network Enabled Mobile DeviceAccessory” filed Oct. 10, 2018, the entire contents of all of which arehereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

Cellular and wireless communication technologies have seen explosivegrowth over the past several years. Cellular service providers now offera wide array of features and services that provide their users withunprecedented levels of access to information, resources andcommunications. To keep pace with these service enhancements, mobileelectronic devices (e.g., cellular phones, tablets, laptops, etc.) havebecome more feature rich, and now commonly include powerful processors,wireless radios, sensors, and many other components for connecting usersto friends, work, leisure activities and entertainment. As a result ofthese improvements, mobile devices (e.g., smart phones, tablets, etc.)are rapidly growing in popularity and use, and quickly becoming anecessary, ever-present, and indispensible tool for navigating modernsociety.

While mobile devices are becoming indispensible and ever-present inmodern life, there are times when it is not convenient for the mobiledevice user to carry a conventional cellular-capable mobile device, suchas when the mobile device user is exercising. Therefore, a lightweight,power efficient, and wearable mobile device (e.g., wrist display,pendant, etc.) configured to provide mobile device users with cellularand network connectivity in the absence of a conventionalcellular-capable mobile device will be beneficial to consumers.

SUMMARY

The various embodiments include methods of communicating informationbetween a wearable wireless portable device and a telecommunicationnetwork by determining in a processor of the wearable wireless portabledevice whether a low-power short range communication link can beestablished to a mobile device, establishing the low-power short rangecommunication link to the mobile device, de-energizing wide area network(WAN) communications circuitry in the wearable wireless portable device,and communicating with the telecommunication network via the low-powershort range communication link when the processor determines that thelow-power short range communication link can be established. When theprocessor determines that the low-power short range communication linkcannot be established the processor activates the WAN communicationscircuitry in the wearable wireless portable device and communicates withthe telecommunication network via the activated WAN communicationscircuitry.

In an embodiment, communicating with the telecommunication network viathe low-power short range communication link may include generating inthe processor, a control message configured to cause the mobile deviceto establish a network connection to the telecommunication network,sending the control message to the mobile device over the low-powershort range communication link, receiving in the processor a responsemessage indicating that the mobile device has established the networkconnection to the telecommunication network, transmitting data to themobile device over the low-power short range communication link, andreceiving in the processor, information/content sent from thetelecommunication network to the mobile device over the networkconnection. The information/content may be received via the low-powershort range communication link.

In a further embodiment, sending the control message to the mobiledevice over the low-power short range communication link may includesending a control message configured to cause the mobile device toestablish the network connection to the telecommunication network. Alsotransmitting data to the mobile device and receiving content sent fromthe telecommunication network to the mobile device over the networkconnection may include accessing the telecommunication network via thenetwork connection of the mobile device by transmitting and receivingdata via the low-power short range communication link.

An embodiment method may further include controlling one or morefeatures of the mobile device by the wearable wireless portable deviceover the low-power short range communication link. Also, an embodimentmethod may further may include receiving in the wearable wirelessportable device an incoming communication of the mobile device via thelow-power short range communication link, and generating in the wearablewireless portable device a user notification to inform a user of theincoming communication, which may include displaying a message on anelectronic display of the wearable wireless portable device and/oroutputting an audible sound or a vibration from the wearable wirelessportable device.

In a further embodiment, the method may include registering with aserver configured to route communications to and from the mobile device.In an embodiment, sending the control message to the mobile device overthe low-power short range communication link may include sending thecontrol message to the server, and receiving the response messageindicating that the mobile device has established the network connectionto the telecommunication network may include receiving the responsemessage from the server.

In various embodiments, determining in a processor of the wearablewireless portable device whether the low-power short range communicationlink can be established to the mobile device includes determiningwhether the low-power short range communication link can be establishedin a processor included in a wrist display, a bracelet, a belt buckle, amedallion, a pendent, a pen, or a key chain. In an embodiment, themethod may include de-energizing/deactivating a resource such ascellular/WAN within the wearable wireless portable device when theprocessor determines that the low-power short range communication linkcan be established with the mobile device, thereby allowing thatde-engergized/deactivated resource to be handled through/in the mobiledevice. In a further embodiment, de-energizing/deactivating a resourcewithin the wearable wireless portable device may also includede-energizing/deactivating a global positioning systemreceiver/functionality in the wearable wireless portable device when theprocessor determines that the low-power short range communication linkcan be established , thereby allowing GPS functionality to be handledthrough/in the mobile device. As used herein throughout, the terms“de-energizing”, “deactivating” and “powering-down” (powering down,power-down) are used interchangeably.

Further embodiments include a wearable wireless portable device havingvarious means for performing the functions of the methods discussedabove, such as means for determining whether a low-power short rangecommunication link can be established to a mobile device, means forestablishing the low-power short range communication link to the mobiledevice, means for de-energizing/deactivating wide area network (WAN)communications circuitry (e.g., a cellular telephone transceiver) in thewearable wireless portable device and communicating with atelecommunication network in the mobile device via the low-power shortrange communication link in response to determining that the low-powershort range communication link can be established, and means foractivating the WAN communications circuitry and communicating with thetelecommunication network via the activated WAN communications circuitryin response to determining that the low-power short range communicationlink cannot be established.

Further embodiments include a wearable wireless portable device thatincludes a WAN communications circuitry, and a processor coupled to theWAN communications circuitry that is configured withprocessor-executable instructions to perform operations foraccomplishing the functions of the methods discussed above.

Further embodiments include non-transitory computer readable storagemedium having stored thereon processor-executable software instructionsconfigured to cause a processor to perform various operationscorresponding to the method operations discussed above.

Further embodiments include a communication device capable of mobileoperation that includes a first transceiver suitable for wirelesslycommunicating information directly to a wide area network (WAN), asecond transceiver suitable for communicating information indirectly tothe WAN via a wireless connection to a second communication devicecapable of mobile operation and connected wirelessly to the WAN and aprocessor coupled to the first and second transceivers and configuredwith processor-executable instructions to perform operations thatinclude selectively powering down duplicate functionality of thecommunication device in response to determining that a wirelessconnection, such as a low-power short range communication link, has beenestablished to the second communication device. Powering down duplicatefunctionality of the communication device may include powering down thefirst transceiver and/or powering down a position location functionalityof the communication device, such as a global positioning systemreceiver. In a further embodiment, the processor may be configured withprocessor-executable instructions to perform operations such thatselectively powering down duplicate functionality of the communicationdevice includes powering down one or more of a heart rate sensor; ablood pressure sensor; a gyroscope; an accelerometer; a pedometer; athermometer; and a glucometer.

Further embodiments include a communication device capable of mobileoperation that includes means for wirelessly communicating informationdirectly to a wide area network (WAN), means for communicatinginformation indirectly to the WAN via a wireless connection to a secondcommunication device capable of mobile operation and connectedwirelessly to the WAN, and means for selectively powering down duplicatefunctionality of the communication device in response to determiningthat the wireless connection, such as a low-power short rangecommunication link, has been established to the second communicationdevice. The means for selectively powering down duplicate functionalityof the communication device may include means for powering down themeans for wirelessly communicating information directly to the WAN,and/or means for powering down a position location functionality of thecommunication device, such as a global positioning system receiver. In afurther embodiment, the means for selectively powering down duplicatefunctionality of the communication device may include means for poweringdown one or more of a heart rate sensor, a blood pressure sensor, agyroscope, an accelerometer, a pedometer, a thermometer, and aglucometer.

Further embodiments include a first device capable of mobile operation,said first device being operable to communicate information, wirelessly,directly to a wide area network (WAN) or indirectly, via a wirelessconnection to a second device capable of mobile operation and connectedwirelessly to said WAN. In an embodiment, the first device is operableto selectively power-down duplicate functionality on said first devicelikewise found on said second device in connection with a wireless linkbeing established between said first and second devices. In a furtherembodiment, the duplicate functionality may include a position locationfunctionality of the first or second device.

Further embodiments include a method of operating a wearable wirelessportable device that includes establishing a low-power short rangecommunication link to a mobile device having wide area network (WAN)capability, and in response to establishing a low-power short rangecommunication link with the mobile device, de-energizing WANcommunications circuitry in the wearable wireless portable device andcommunicating with a WAN through the mobile device via the low-powershort range communication link. In an embodiment the method may furtherinclude activating the WAN communications circuitry in the wearablewireless portable device and communicating with the WAN via theactivated WAN communications circuitry in the wearable wireless portabledevice when the low-power short range communication link, between themobile device and the wearable wireless portable device, is notavailable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitutepart of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of theinvention, and, together with the general description given above andthe detailed description given below, serve to explain features of theinvention. For reference numerals with letter character designationssuch as “102A” or “102B”, the letter character designations maydifferentiate two like parts or elements present in the same figure.Letter character designations for reference numerals may be omitted whenit is intended that a reference numeral to encompass all parts havingthe same reference numeral in all figures.

FIG. 1A is a system wide functional block diagram of a wearable wirelessportable device coupled to a wireless communications network;

FIG. 1B is a detailed functional block diagram of a second embodiment ofa wearable wireless portable device;

FIG. 1C is a functional block diagram of a computing device capable ofmobile operation that may be in the form a wearable wireless portabledevice;

FIG. 2 is a diagram of a exemplary wearable wireless portable devicehaving anatomical mounting hardware;

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a screen for displaying exercise data andcompetition data for an operator of the wearable wireless portabledevice;

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a screen for displaying a location of thewearable wireless portable device relative to geographical elements andrelative to other wearable wireless portable devices;

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a screen of a remote portable computing devicefor displaying a location of the wearable wireless portable devicerelative to geographical elements such as streets;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for tracking exercise andpersonal security with a wearable wireless portable device; and

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for processing exercise dataand personal security data generated by one or more wearable wirelessportable devices.

FIG. 8 is a communication diagram illustrating a low-power short rangecommunication link between a wearable wireless device and a mobiledevice.

FIG. 9 is a process flow diagram of an embodiment method for selecting acommunication path between a wearable wireless portable device and atelecommunication network.

FIG. 10A is a process flow diagram of another embodiment method forselecting a communication path between a wearable wireless portabledevice and a telecommunication network.

FIG. 10B is a process flow diagram of an embodiment wearable wirelessportable device method of sending and receiving information to and froma telecommunication network.

FIG. 10C is a process flow diagram of an embodiment method ofde-energizing resources in the wearable wireless portable device when itis in close proximity to a mobile device.

FIG. 11 is a circuit block diagram of a wearable wireless portabledevice suitable for use with the various embodiments.

FIG. 12 is a circuit block diagram of a mobile device suitable for usewith the various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The various embodiments will be described in detail with reference tothe accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numberswill be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.References made to particular examples and implementations are forillustrative purposes, and are not intended to limit the scope of theinvention or the claims.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example,instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as“exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred oradvantageous over other embodiments.

In this description, the term “application” may also include fileshaving executable content, such as: object code, scripts, byte code,markup language files, and patches. In addition, an “application”referred to herein, may also include files that are not executable innature, such as documents that may need to be opened or other data filesthat need to be accessed.

The term “content” may also include files having executable content,such as: object code, scripts, byte code, markup language files, andpatches. In addition, “content” referred to herein, may also includefiles that are not executable in nature, such as documents that may needto be opened or other data files that need to be accessed.

As used in this description, the terms “component,” “database,”“module,” “system,” and the like are intended to refer to acomputer-related entity, either hardware, firmware, a combination ofhardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example,a component may be, but is not limited to being, a process running on aprocessor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution,a program, and/or a computer. By way of illustration, both anapplication running on a computing device and the computing device maybe a component. One or more components may reside within a processand/or thread of execution, and a component may be localized on onecomputer and/or distributed between two or more computers. In addition,these components may execute from various computer readable media havingvarious data structures stored thereon. The components may communicateby way of local and/or remote processes such as in accordance with asignal having one or more data packets (e.g., data from one componentinteracting with another component in a local system, distributedsystem, and/or across a network such as the Internet with other systemsby way of the signal).

The term “computing device” is used herein to refer to any one or all ofservers, personal computers, laptop computers, tablet computers, mobiledevices, cellular telephones, smartbooks, ultrabooks, palm-topcomputers, personal data assistants (PDA's), wireless electronic mailreceivers, multimedia Internet enabled cellular telephones, GlobalPositioning System (GPS) receivers, wireless gaming controllers, andother similar electronic devices that include a programmable processorand circuitry for wirelessly sending or receiving information.

The terms “mobile device,” “wireless device” and “wireless node” areused herein to refer to any electronic device that includes circuitryfor wirelessly sending and/or receiving information, and may include anyone or all of cellular telephones, personal or mobile multi-mediaplayers, watches, wrist displays, smaitphones, personal or mobilemulti-media players, personal data assistants (PDA's), laptop computers,tablet computers, ultrabooks, palm-top computers, wireless electronicmail receivers, multimedia Internet enabled cellular telephones,wireless gaming controllers, and similar personal electronic deviceswhich include circuitry for sending and/or receiving wirelesscommunication signals.

The term “wireless-enabled device” is used herein to refer to anyelectronic device that includes a radio frequency (RF) radio orcircuitry for wirelessly sending or receiving information via a shortwave wireless technology, such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth®, and thus mayencompass many commercially available mobile devices, medical devices,personal computers, cameras, projectors, and other similar electronicdevices. Details of the Wi-Fi standards and technologies are set forthin Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' (IEEE) 802.11standards, which are herein incorporated by reference for detailsrelated to the communication technologies.

The term “Bluetooth®-enabled device” is used herein to refer to anyelectronic device that includes a radio frequency (RF) radio and aprocessor or circuitry for implementing the Bluetooth® protocolstack/interface. Bluetooth® is an open standard for short-range radiofrequency (RF) communications. Details of the Bluetooth® standards,interfaces, and technology are set forth in Bluetooth® Special interestGroup (SIG) Specification of the Bluetooth® System Version 4.0 Jun. 30,2010, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

The various embodiments may be implemented using a variety ofcommunication protocols, but are described herein using Bluetooth® andBluetooth®-related terminology as a convenient example of acommunications technology for wirelessly connecting electronic deviceslocated within a relatively short distance of one another (e.g., 100meters). However, the examples referring to Bluetooth®, and otherreferences to the Bluetooth® herein, are for illustration purposes only,and are not intended to limit the descriptions or the claims to thatparticular standard. Therefore, the scope of the claims should not beconstrued as requiring Bluetooth® unless specifically recited in theclaims.

As discussed above, mobile devices (e.g., smartphones, etc.) are quicklybecoming a necessary and indispensible tool for navigating modernsociety, yet there are times when it is not convenient for consumers tocarry a conventional cellular-capable mobile device (e.g., whileexercising, etc.).

The various embodiments provide a lightweight, power efficient, andwearable wireless portable device (“WWPD”) configured to communicatewith a more conventional and feature-rich mobile device (e.g.,smartphone, etc.) via low-power short range communication technologies(e.g., Bluetooth®, WiFi, etc.) when in close proximity to the mobiledevice, and provide the user access to cellular, telecommunicationand/or wide area networks when not in close proximity to the mobiledevice. The wearable wireless portable device allows the user tocontinue having cellular/network connectivity when he/she is notcarrying a cellular or network-enabled mobile device, but does notrequire the bulky, complex and/or power hungry circuitry or hardwaretypically included in conventional mobile devices. The wearable wirelessportable device may transition between the different types of cellularand wireless communication technologies seamlessly and without userinteraction.

The wearable wireless portable device may be configured to automaticallyestablish wide area network (WAN) connectivity when it is not in closeproximity to the mobile device and/or when a low power short-rangecommunication link cannot be established with the mobile device. WANconnectivity may be achieved via a cellular telephone network connectionbetween a cellular transceiver in the wearable wireless portable deviceto a base state in a cellular telecommunication network.

The wearable wireless portable device may be further configured to entera low power state, turn off its wide area network (WAN) and/or cellularcommunications circuitry, and/or automatically establish a low powerdirect communication link to the mobile device when it is in closeproximity to the mobile device. The wearable wireless portable devicemay also be configured to automatically disable or reduce the powerconsumption of any or all of the resources or components included thedevice when it is in close proximity to the mobile device and/or when alow power direct communication link is established with the mobiledevice. Example of device resources or components that may be disabledin such a situation include a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver,a WAN modem or transceiver, a communication bus, voltage rails, sensors,and processors.

In an embodiment, the wearable wireless portable device may beconfigured to use the direct communication link to send and receivecommunication messages to and from a telecommunication network or WANvia the network connectivity of the mobile device. The wearable wirelessportable device mobile device may also be configured to send and receivemessages to and from the mobile device via the direct communicationlink.

In an embodiment, the wearable wireless portable device may beconfigured to register with a server or service that routes thecommunications to and from the wearable device, and to send/receivecommunications to and from the server or service.

In various embodiments, the wearable wireless portable device may be awrist display, badge, tag, bracelet, patch, belt buckle, medallion, pen,key chain, or any other device that may be worn or carried by a user.

As mentioned above, the wearable wireless portable device may beconfigured to enter a low power state and turn off WAN and cellularcommunications circuitry when it is in close proximity to the mobiledevice. The wearable wireless portable device may also be configured toplace the one or more processors and/or device resources (e.g., GPSreceiver, memory unit, communication bus, etc.) in a low power statewhen it is in close proximity to the mobile device and/or when a lowpower direct communication link is established with the mobile device.These features reduce the amount of power consumed by the wearablewireless portable device, extending its battery life and/or reducing thesize and weight of its battery. The above mentioned features also enablea wireless service provider to charge consumers less for their services,since a large portion of the wearable wireless portable device's networkconnectivity and communications may be achieved via the networkconnectivity of a second device (e.g., the mobile device).

FIG. 1A is an illustration of a system 100 that includes a wearablewireless portable device 105A coupled to a wireless communicationsnetwork 142. Many of the system elements illustrated in FIG. 1A arecoupled via communications links 103 to the wireless communicationsnetwork 142.

The links 103 illustrated in FIG. 1A may include wired or wirelesslinks. Wireless links include, but are not limited to, radio-frequency(“RF”) links, infrared links, acoustic links, and other wirelessmediums. The wireless communications network 142 may include a wide areanetwork (“WAN”), a local area network (“LAN”), the Internet, a PublicSwitched Telephony Network (“PSTN”), a paging network, or a combinationthereof. The wireless communications network 142 may be established bybroadcast RF transceiver towers 110B. However, one of ordinary skill inthe art recognizes that other types of communication devices besidesbroadcast RF transceiver towers 110B are included within the scope ofthe invention for establishing the wireless communications network 142.The wearable wireless portable device (“WWPD”) 105A is shown to have anRF antenna 110A so that a respective wearable wireless portable device105A may establish wireless communication links 103 with the wirelesscommunications network 142 via broadcast RF transceiver towers 110B.

The wearable wireless portable device 105A may include a plurality ofsoftware and/or hardware components, such as the illustratedradio-frequency (“RF”) transceiver 115, global positioning satellite(GPS) module 120A, biological or physiological monitor(s) 125A, exerciseor sports activity module 130A, personal security module 135A,entertainment module 140, camera 145, speaker 150, display 155, userinterface module 160, time module 165, portability hardware 170, webbrowser module 175, power supply 180, and microphone 360. The wearablewireless portable device 105A may include a processor or centralprocessing unit (“CPU”) 390 as illustrated in FIG. 1B and describedbelow. The processor/CPU 390 may be configured with processor executableinstructions to perform the functions described herein or it may haveseveral dedicated circuits that provide the functions described herein.

The RF transceiver 115 may be coupled to the RF antenna 110A. The RFtransceiver 115 may support one or more multiple RF communication types.For example, the RF transceiver 115 may support cellular phone type RFcommunications. Other communication types include, but are not limitedto, fixed wireless, portable communication systems (“PCS”), or satellitecommunications systems. The RF transceiver 115 may provide for multipleaccess communications, in accordance with any standard or protocol, suchas, for example, code division multiple access (“CDMA”), time divisionmultiple access (“TDMA”), frequency division multiple access (“FDMA”),or Global System for Mobile communications (“GSM”), or any combinationthereof

The RF transceiver 115 in combination with the wireless communicationsnetwork 142 may also support QChat® service type instantaneouscommunications. QChat® is a software application developed by QualcommInternet Services (QIS), a division of Qualcomm, Inc. and part of theQualcomm Wireless and Internet group. QChat® provides a reliable methodof instant connection and two-way communication between users who may bein different and who are operating within the same type of networkarchitecture. QChat® may include a software application developed forthe Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless (“BREW”) platform.

“Press-to-Transmit” (“PTT”) is a method of conversing on half-duplexcommunication lines for 3G and 4G networks. QChat® handsets and serversoftware as of this writing allow users of the wearable wirelessportable device 105A to connect instantaneously with other QChat® usersanywhere in the world with the push of a button. In addition, the QChat®service enables one-to-one (private) and one-to-many (group) calls overthe 3G and 4G networks.

As understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, QChat® may usestandard Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technologies. Voiceinformation may be sent in digital form over internet protocol (“IP”)data networks in discrete packets rather than traditionalcircuit-switched protocols such those used in the public switchedtelephone network (“PSTN”).

The RF transceiver 115 may also support short messaging system (SMS)functions such as texting. The RF transceiver 115 may allow the operatorof the wearable wireless portable device 105A to forward inbound orincoming phone calls to a text to speech engine that may includesoftware and/or hardware which are part of the user interface module160. Alternatively, the text to speech engine hardware and/or softwaremay be part of a server 111, which may receive phone calls that areforwarded to it by the wearable wireless portable device 105A.

The GPS module 120A may include hardware and/or software that supportsthe United States Global Positioning System (“GPS”) or any otherlocation position system of functionality. Thus, it should be understoodthat other global navigation satellite systems (“GNSS”) are includedwithin the scope of this application, and may also be supported byhardware and/or software executed by the wearable wireless portabledevice 105A. Other GNSS or Satellite Positioning Systems (“SPS”)include, but are not limited to, the Russian GLONASS system, and theEuropean Galileo System. The GPS module 120A may provide an operator ofthe wearable wireless portable device 105A with a current set of thegeographical coordinates for the location of the WWPD 105A. The wearablewireless portable device 105A may also provide maps showing thegeographical coordinates on the display 155. The GPS module 120A mayalso transmit its calculated geographical coordinates using the RFtransceiver 115 over the wireless communications network 142 to a remoteserver 111, a second wearable wireless portable device (WWPD) 105B,and/or a portable computing device 107.

The wearable wireless portable device 105A may include one or morebiological or physiological monitor modules 125A. These monitor modules125A may check and track one or more physiological parameters. Exemplarymeasured physiological and/or calculated parameters include, but are notlimited to: heart rate, calories burned, variability in heart rate,breathing rate, arrhythmia of the heart (if any), general rhythm andfunctioning of the heart, blood pressure, abnormal body movements(convulsions), body position, general body movements, body temperature,presence and quantity of sweat, oxygenation, and glucose levels in theblood. The monitor modules 125A may work in concert or in conjunctionwith one or more sensors 210 as described in FIG. 2 discussed below.Such sensors 210 may include, but are not limited to, heart ratesensors, blood pressure sensors, strain gauges, gyroscopes,accelerometers, pedometers, thermometers, thermocouples, glucometers,and other similar sensors as understood by one of ordinary skill in theart.

The monitor modules 125A and the sensors 210 of FIG. 2 may work inconcert and/or in communication with one or more exercise or sportsactivity modules 130A. The exercise or sports activity modules 130A maybe designed for specific physical activities that may include, but arenot limited to, jogging, running, walking, bicycling, swimming, rowing,strength training, yoga, mountain biking, skiing, hiking, and mountainclimbing. The system may track other similar physical activities thatinclude all sports and sports related activities.

Each exercise or sports activity module 130A may be tailored for aspecific physical activity. For example, a jogging sports activitymodule 130A may track the heart rate, calories burned, as well as thedistance traveled by the operator of the wearable wireless portabledevice 105A. A swimming sports activity module 130A may also track andmonitor heart rate, calories burned, water temperature, as well as thenumber of laps taken by the operator of the wearable wireless portabledevice 105A. The sports activity module 130A may also track and monitortime according to the activity selected by the wearable wirelessportable device 105A.

In addition to tracking the exercise or sports activity of the operatorof the wearable wireless portable device 105A, the exercise or sportsactivity module 130A may be configured to receive performance data thatis transmitted to the wearable wireless portable device 105A from asecond wearable wireless portable device 105B as illustrated in FIG. 1A.In one embodiment, the wearable wireless portable device 105A mayreceive data regarding other operators of another wearable wirelessportable device 105B that may be participating in the same exercise orsports activity of the operator of the wearable wireless portable device105A. Such performance data may include, but is not limited to, (1)geographical locations of other athletes or exercisers that may be shownon display 155, and (2) specific metrics of other athletes andexercisers. The specific metrics may include, but are not limited to,calories burned, current speed, current exercise rate, or athletic rate,etc. Performance data may include data from famous athletes who haveuploaded and stored their exercise or sports activity data. In this way,the wearable wireless portable device 105 may foster competition amongmultiple athletes and/or exercisers in which these people may besignificantly geographically diverse (i.e., separate from one another),such as people comparing performance data to one another who live indifferent towns, cities, states, countries, etc.

The exercise or sports activity module 130A may also track and monitorbenchmarks associated with stored data such as benchmarks recorded andstored in the remote server 111 by famous or noteworthy athletes. Inother words, the exercise or sports activity module 130A may provide acontinuous comparison of a current exercise or sports activity of theoperator of the wearable wireless portable device 105A to stored resultsof a famous or noteworthy athlete who has uploaded and stored his or herexercise or sports activity data (also referred to as performance datathroughout this document). Details about these comparative functionsperformed by the exercise or sports activity module 130A will bedescribed in further detail below in connection with FIG. 3 and FIG. 4.

The personal security module 135A may include hardware and/or softwaremodules that allow the operator to select from a plurality of personalsecurity features and functions. For example, the personal securitymodule 135A may activate a function such that the position of thewearable wireless portable device 105A as monitored and detected by theGPS module 120A may be sent over the wireless communications network142. This data may be received by the server 111. In this way, athird-party may monitor movement of the wearable wireless portabledevice 105A which has activated the personal security module 135A. Thepersonal security module 135A may include user-defined functions such asan alert or an alarm button that may be depressed by the operator of thewearable wireless portable device 105A. The alert or alarm button may bedepressed by the operator if he or she is experiencing a security issue,such as a robbery, kidnapping, assault, etc.

The personal security module 135A may also be programmed to provideperiodic updates of the location of the wearable wireless portabledevice 105A as selected by the operator. The personal security module135A may generate periodic text messages indicating that the status ofthe operator is good. Likewise, the personal security module 135A mayalso operate as a “kill switch.” For this feature, the operator isrequired to push a button which transmits a message stating that the“operator is OK” according to certain time intervals and/or locations orboth. When the operator of the wearable wireless portable device 105Adoes not push the button after a period of time and/or at a location orboth, then an alarm signal may be triggered and generated by thewearable wireless portable device 105A. This alarm signal iscommunicated over the wireless communications network 142 to the server111. The alarm signal in an exemplary embodiment may take the form of atext message. The generation of text messages may consume very little orlow bandwidth. The text message functions may operate like conventionalwireless devices which utilize 3G and 4G wireless connections.

The personal security module 135A may support other types of securityfeatures and/or functions. Such other types of security features and/orfunctions may include an alert feature that allows the operator of thewearable wireless portable device 105A to send an alert status to theserver 111. With this alert status, a remote operator such as a secondwearable wireless portable device 105B or a portable computing device107 may be notified to start tracking or monitoring the status of thefirst wearable wireless portable device 105A.

In other words, the personal security module 135A may support an alertfeature that does not require immediate action with respect to a partymonitoring the location of the wearable wireless portable device 105A.This alert feature may only require the party who has access to theserver 111 to start focusing on the location and movement of thewearable wireless portable device 105A until the operator of thewearable wireless portable device 105A indicates that further monitoringby the third party is no longer needed.

The personal security module 135A may also support emergency functionsand/or features such as a 911 emergency call feature. This means whenthe 911 emergency call feature is activated, the personal securitymodule 135A may be programmed to send the current location of thewearable wireless portable device 105A along with a predetermined orcanned message. The canned message may include a text message and/or avoice message that identifies the name of the operator of the wearablewireless portable device 105A along with instructions for emergencypersonnel /first responders to come to the rescue of the operatorimmediately. The personal security module 135A may also support specificemergency functions such as identifying the category or type ofemergency and requesting emergency assistance corresponding to thecategory or type selected by the operator of the wearable wirelessportable device 105A.

That is, the personal security module 135A may support an emergencymedical function, an emergency police function, and an emergency firefunction, or any combination thereof. In this way, the operator of thewearable wireless portable device 105A may select the type of emergencythat may be experienced by the operator so that proper emergencypersonnel/first responders are appropriately notified and requested toarrive at the location of the wearable wireless portable device 105A.

As noted above, the wearable wireless portable device 105A may alsoinclude one or more entertainment modules 140. The one or moreentertainment modules 140 may support functions and/or features or acombination thereof that include, but are not limited to, audio players,video players, video games, and other entertainment functions. Forexample, the entertainment module 140 may include an MP3 player forplaying audio files that include music files.

The wearable wireless portable device 105A may also include a camera 145that may support conventional photographs as well as video. Furtherdetails about the camera 145 will be described below in connection withFIG. 1B. The wearable wireless portable device 105A may also include aspeaker 150, a microphone 360, a display 155, and a user interfacemodule 160. The user interface module 160 may be coupled to the speaker150, the display 155, and the microphone 360.

The user interface module 160 may support or be part of an operatingsystem (“OS”) that is integrated with the graphics shown on a display155 and which may support touch and keyed-in commands as well as voiceactivated commands. The user interface module 160 may provide for asimulated keyboard on the display 155. Alternatively, a physicalkeyboard or keypad 374 such as illustrated in FIG. 1B may be part of theuser interface module 160.

The wearable wireless portable device 105A may also include one or moretime modules 165 that may be coupled to the display 155, the speaker150, and the exercise or sports activity modules 130A. The time modules165 may track current time as well as times and other time zonesthroughout the world. The time modules 165 may be accessed and mayprovide data to the exercise or sports activity modules 130A such as,but not limited to, lap time, running or jogging rate, and other similartime features. The time modules 165 may be coupled to the display 155.The times tracked by the time modules 165 may be displayable to theoperator of the wearable wireless portable device 105A.

The wearable wireless portable device 105A may also include portabilityhardware 170 which may take on various different forms. For example, theportability hardware 170 may include physical structures such as one ormore bands coupled together so the wearable wireless portable device105A is worn as a bracelet or like a watch. In other cases, theportability hardware 170 may include other bands, straps, or fasteners,so the wearable wireless portable device 105A may be worn on the otherparts of the human anatomy. For example, the WWPD 105 A may be worn onthe arm of a person as well as around the torso of a person. As afurther example, the WWPD 105 may be worn as a pendant around a humanneck and/or clipped-on to clothing.

The wearable wireless portable device 105A may also include a webbrowser module 175 that is coupled to the display 155B, user interfacemodule 160, and the RF transceiver 115. The web browser module 175 mayallow the operator to access the Internet as well as allowing variousmodules such as the GPS module 120A and the exercise or sports activitymodules 130A to upload or download particular information.

The wearable wireless portable device 105A may also include a powersupply 180. The power supply 180 may include, but is not limited to,batteries, capacitors, solar cells, mechanical power generation devices(i.e. self winding equipment), and any combination thereof as well assimilar power supplies 18 known to one of ordinary skill the art.

In an embodiment, the wearable wireless portable device 105A may includea power management system configured to selectively deactivate, powerdown, de-energize, or reduce the power consumption needs of any or allof the components, resources (e.g., sensors, etc.), processors, modules,systems, and sub-systems of the wearable wireless portable device 105Abased on determining that a communication link has been established toanother device (e.g., WWPD 105B, mobile device, etc.) or in response todetermining that the wearable wireless portable device 105A and thesecond device duplicate a functionality, are capable of performing thesame or similar operations, or are capable of providing the user withthe same or similar functionality or service.

The server 111 may include one or more modules which mirror those whichare contained within or part of the wearable wireless portable device105A. That is, the server 111 may include one or more GPS modules 120B,one or more exercise or sports activity modules 130B, one or morebiological or physiological monitor modules 125B, and one or morepersonal security modules 135B. The modules of the server 111 may becomplementary relative to the modules of the wearable wireless portabledevice 105A and may work in concert with the modules of the wearablewireless portable device 105A.

As noted previously, the server 111 may communicate with other wearablewireless portable devices 105B as well as other portable computingdevices 107. Other portable computing devices 107 may include handheldcomputers, laptop computers, and desktop computers.

Referring to FIG. 1B, an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment of awearable wireless portable device 105A is shown. The wearable wirelessportable device 105A includes an on-chip system 322 that includes amulticore CPU 390. The multicore CPU 390 may include a zeroth core 394,a first core 396, and an Nth core 398. According to alternate exemplaryembodiments, the CPU 390 may also include those of single core types andnot one which has multiple cores.

As illustrated in FIG. 1B, a display controller 328 and a touch screencontroller 330 are coupled to the multicore CPU 390. In turn, thedisplay 155 external to the on-chip system 322 is coupled to the displaycontroller 328 and the touch screen controller 330.

FIG. 1B further shows that a video encoder 334, e.g., a phasealternating line (PAL) encoder, a sequential color a memoire (SECAM)encoder, or a national television system(s) committee (NTSC) encoder, iscoupled to the multicore CPU 390. Further, a video amplifier 336 iscoupled to the video encoder 334 and the touch screen display 108. Also,a video port 338 is coupled to the video amplifier 336. As shown in FIG.1B, a universal serial bus (USB) controller 340 is coupled to themulticore CPU 390. Also, a USB port 342 is coupled to the USB controller340. Memory 392 and a subscriber identity module (SIM) card 346 may alsobe coupled to the multicore CPU 390.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1B, a digital camera 145 may be coupled to themulticore CPU 390. In an exemplary embodiment, the digital camera 145 isa charge-coupled device (CCD) camera or a complementary metal-oxidesemiconductor (CMOS) camera.

As further illustrated in FIG. 1B, a stereo audio coder-decoder (CODEC)350 may be coupled to the multicore CPU 390. Moreover, an audioamplifier 352 may coupled to the stereo audio CODEC 350. In an exemplaryembodiment, a first stereo speaker 150A and a second stereo speaker 150Bare coupled to the audio amplifier 352. FIG. 1B shows that a microphoneamplifier 358 may be also coupled to the stereo audio CODEC 350.Additionally, a microphone 360 may be coupled to the microphoneamplifier 358. In a particular embodiment, a frequency modulation (FM)radio tuner 362 may be coupled to the stereo audio CODEC 350. Also, anFM antenna is coupled to the FM radio tuner 362. Further, stereoheadphones 366 may be coupled to the stereo audio CODEC 350.

FIG. 1B further illustrates that a radio frequency (“RF”) transceiver115 may be coupled to the multicore CPU 390. An RF switch 370 may becoupled to the RF transceiver 368 and an RF antenna 110A. As shown inFIG. 1B, a keypad 374 may be coupled to the multicore CPU 390. Also, amono headset with a microphone 376 may be coupled to the multicore CPU390. Further, a vibrator device 378 may be coupled to the multicore CPU390.

FIG. 1B also shows that the power supply 180 may be coupled to theon-chip system 322. According to one embodiment, the power supply 180 isa direct current (DC) power supply that provides power to the variouscomponents of the wearable wireless portable device 105A that requirepower. Further, in a particular embodiment, the power supply 180 is arechargeable DC battery or a DC power supply that is derived from analternating current (AC) to DC transformer that is connected to an ACpower source.

FIG. 1B further illustrates a network card 388 that may be used toaccess a data network, e.g., a local area network, a personal areanetwork, or any other network. The network card 388 may be a Bluetoothnetwork card, a WiFi network card, a personal area network (PAN) card, apersonal area network ultra-low-power technology (PeANUT) network card,or any other network card well known in the art. Further, the networkcard 388 may be incorporated into a chip, i.e., the network card 388 maybe a full solution in a chip, and may not be a separate network card388.

The multicore CPU 390 may be coupled to software and/or hardwareembodiments of the modules 120, 125, 130, 135, and 140 (120-140) whichare described above in connection with FIG. 1A. These modules 120-140may take the form of software and/or hardware, such as, but not limitedto an application integrated circuit (ASIC), and/or firmware. Thesemodules 120-140 of FIG. 1A are generally responsible for providing theglobal positioning functions, bio monitoring functions, exercise/athletic performance tracking functions, personal security functions,and entertainment functions as described above in connection with FIG.1A.

As depicted in FIG. 1B, the touch screen or display 155, the video port338, the USB port 342, the camera 145, the first stereo speaker 354, thesecond stereo speaker 356, the microphone 360, the FM antenna 364, thestereo headphones 366, the RF switch 370, the RF antenna 372, the keypad374, the mono headset/microphone 376, the vibrator device 378, and thepower supply 380 are external to the on-chip system 322.

According to another particular embodiment of the system, one or more ofthe method steps described herein may be stored in the memory 392 ascomputer program instructions, such as the modules 120, 125, 130, 135,and 140 described above in connection with the wearable wirelessportable device 105A as illustrated in FIG. 1A.

These instructions may be executed by the multicore CPU 390 to performthe method steps described herein. Further, the multicore CPU 390 andmemory 392 of the wearable wireless portable device 105A, or acombination thereof may serve as a means for executing one or more ofthe method steps described herein.

FIG. 1C illustrates various components of an embodiment computing devicecapable of mobile operation that may be in the form of wireless portabledevice 105B. Specifically, FIG. 1C illustrates that a wireless portabledevice 105B may include a processor 390B, a memory 392B, and aconnection 295 module. The processor 390B may be configured by softwareinstructions to perform a variety of methods, including the methods ofthe various embodiments described herein. For example, the processor390B may include a programmable processor (e.g., x86, ARM), a digitalsignal processor (“DSP”), an application specific integrated circuit(“ASIC”), a field programmable gate array (“FPGA”), etc.

The processor 390B may be coupled to and/or execute modules 120-140,which are described above. The modules 120-140 may take the form ofsoftware and/or hardware, such as, but not limited to an applicationintegrated circuit (“ASIC”), and/or firmware. These modules 120-140 ofFIG. 1A are generally responsible for providing the global positioningfunctions, bio monitoring functions, exercise /athletic performancetracking functions, personal security functions, and entertainmentfunctions as described above in connection with FIG. 1A.

The memory 392B may be any optical disk storage, any magnetic diskstorage, or any other medium operable to store logic and/or dataaccessible by the computer. The memory 392B may include random accessmemory (“RAM”), read-only memory (“ROM”), electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memory (“EEPROM”), or any type of solid-statememory that is suitable for compact electronic packaging for a wearablewireless portable device 105.

The connection 295 may generally allow connectivity to other computers,wireless devices, laptops, servers, etc. The connection 295 may includea network interface card (“NIC”), a modem, a universal serial bus port(“USB”), a Firewire port, a 3G/4G wireless modem, a near-fieldcommunication connection (“NFC”), etc. The connection 295 may be anyother wired connection, any other wireless connection, any othermagnetic connection, any other visual connection, any other audibleconnection, etc.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an example wearable wireless portable device 105having security monitoring and communication functions contained withinanatomical mounting hardware 170. In the exemplary embodimentillustrated in FIG. 2, the anatomical mounting hardware 170 includes abracelet or ornamental shell suitable for wearing on an arm 255 of ahuman subject 250. As discussed above, the wearable wireless portabledevice 105 is not limited to anatomical mounting hardware 170 suitableonly for mounting on an arm 255. The mounting hardware 170 may includeother elements such as a chain, pin, clip or other type of mechanicalfasteners such that the wearable wireless portable device 105 may beworn on other regions of the body. For example, the WWPD 105 may takethe form as a pendant for wearing around a neck. The WWPD 105 mayinclude a unit for attaching to a bicep, or a unit worn on the waist ofa human subject 250.

In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the display 155A ofthe wearable wireless portable device 105 may provide numerous pieces ofinformation for the operator such as, but not limited to, the currenttime of day, and a heart rate 182 of the operator or human subject 250.The display 155A may also show other user interface elements 160A-160Gas will be described in further detail below.

The wearable wireless portable device 105 may be coupled to one or moredifferent types of sensors 210. In the exemplary embodiment illustratedin FIG. 2, the sensor 210 may include a heart rate sensor. However,other types of sensors are included within the scope of the inventionand may include, but are not limited to, breathing sensors, oxygenationsensors, perspiration sensors, blood pressure sensors, glucose meters,temperature sensors, and other like sensors. Other like sensors maymeasure various different types of physiological parameters that arehelpful in monitoring and tracking performance during exercise andathletic activities.

In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the heart rate sensor210 may be supported by a strap 215. Other mounting hardware besides thestrap 215 for the sensor 210 may be employed as understood by one ofordinary skill in the art. The wearable wireless portable device 105 maybe coupled to the sensor 210 via a wireless connection 205A. Wirelessconnections include, but are not limited to, radiofrequency couplings,magnetic couplings, infrared, and acoustic couplings. Other wirelessconnections not specifically mentioned are well within the scope of theinvention as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. In analternative embodiment, a wired connection 205B may be used to couplethe sensor 210 to the wearable wireless portable device 105.

The seven user interface elements 160A-160G may be suitable for adisplay 155A that supports touch-screen type features. This means thatfor the seven user interface elements 160A-160G, when the operatortouches one or more of these user interface elements 160A-160G, then oneor more functions and/or features supported by the wearable wirelessportable device 105 may become active or accessed by the operator/humansubject 250.

The first user interface element 160A may include an alert button forcreating an alert message as described above in connection with FIG. 1A.Such an alert feature may include one that allows the operator of thewearable wireless portable device 105A to send an alert status to theserver 111. The server may in turn transmit the alert to a remoteoperator such as a second wearable wireless portable device 105B or aportable computing device 107 as illustrated in FIG. 1A. The portablecomputing device 107 may be notified to start tracking or monitoring thestatus of the first wearable wireless portable device 105A.

In other words, the personal security module 135A of the wearablewireless portable device 105 may support an alert feature that does notrequire immediate action with respect to a party monitoring the locationof the wearable wireless portable device 105A. This alert feature, whenactivated by the first user interface element 160A, may only require theparty who has access to the server 111 to start focusing on the locationand movement of the wearable wireless portable device 105A. The partymay stop monitoring the location and movement of the WWPD 105A when theoperator of the WWPD 105A indicates that further monitoring by the thirdparty is no longer needed

The second user interface element 160B may support an immediate orurgent response feature as described above in connection with FIG. 1A.That is, the second user interface element 160B may support emergencyfunctions and/or features such as a 911 emergency call feature. Thismeans when the 911 function or “Emergency” button feature associatedwith user interface element 160B is activated, the personal securitymodule 135A may be programmed to send the current location of thewearable wireless portable device 105A. The WWPD 105A may also send amessage that may include a text message and/or a voice message. The textmessage and/or voice message may identify the name of the operator ofthe wearable wireless portable device 105A along with instructions foremergency personnel or first responders to come to the rescue of theoperator substantially immediately.

The personal security module 135A as activated by the second userinterface element 160B may also support specific emergency functionssuch as identifying the category or type of emergency. The second userinterface element 160B may request emergency assistance correspondingwith the category or type selected by the operator of the wearablewireless portable device 105A. This means that the personal securitymodule 135A may support an emergency medical function, an emergencypolice function, and an emergency fire function, or any combinationthereof

In this way, the operator of the wearable wireless portable device 105Amay select the type of emergency that may be experienced by the operatorafter the second user interface element 160B “Emergency” button isactivated. This allows proper emergency personnel or first responders tobe appropriately notified and requested to arrive at the location of thewearable wireless portable device 105A.

The third user interface element 160C may support a function in whichthe operator desires to record and store current exercise orcompetition/performance data with the wearable wireless portable device105. The third user interface element 160C may also activate thecompetition feature described above in connection with FIG. 1A.

The third user interface element 160C may activate the exercise orsports activity module 130A such that the WWPD 105A receives performancedata that is transmitted to the wearable wireless portable device 105Afrom other wearable wireless portable devices 105B as illustrated inFIG. 1A. Similarly, activation of the third user interface element 160Cmay also cause the exercise or sports activity module 130A to transmitthe current performance data of the operator/human subject 250 of theWWPD 105A over the wireless communications network 142 to the server111.

In one exemplary embodiment, activation of the third user interfaceelement 160C may initiate the feature in which the wearable wirelessportable device 105A receives data regarding other operators of otherWWPDs 105B that may be participating in the same exercise or sportsactivity of the operator/human subject 250 of a particular WWPD 105A.Such performance data may include, but is not limited to, geographicallocations of other athletes or exercisers that may be shown on display155, and specific metrics of other athletes such as calories burned,current speed, current exercise or athletic rate, etc. In this way, thewearable wireless portable device 105 may foster competition amongmultiple athletes and/or exercisers in which these people may besignificantly geographically diverse (separate from one another). Forexample, this may include people comparing performance data to oneanother who live in different towns, cities, states, countries, etc.

The fourth user interface element 160D may activate a “menu” functionthat may display various options and/or functions that may be supportedby the wearable wireless portable device 105. This fourth user interfaceelement 160D may cause a menu to be shown on the display 155A so theoperator/human subject 250 may select from the menu elements.

The fifth user interface element 160E may support/activate the“Push-To-Talk” or “Push-To-Transmit” feature described in connectionwith FIG. 1A above. In one embodiment, activation of the fifth userinterface element 160E may initiate QChat®-based instantaneouscommunications such that the operator/human subject 250 may conductcommunications using the speaker 150. As noted previously, QChat® is asoftware application which was developed by Qualcomm, Inc. based in SanDiego, California. QChat® provides a reliable method of instantconnection and two-way communication between users in differentlocations. QChat® allows users of the wearable wireless portable device105A to connect instantaneously with other QChat® users anywhere in theworld with the push of a button, such as the fifth user interfaceelement 160E.

The sixth and seventh user interface elements 160F, 160G may supportconventional chronological features such as the starting and thestopping of a stopwatch such that the operator/human subject 250 maytrack time for an exercise or other form of athletic activity. The sixand seven user interface elements 160F, 160G may be coupled to one ormore time modules 165 as described above in connection with FIG. 1A.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a screen/display 155B for displaying exercisedata 305A and competition data 305B for an operator of the wearablewireless portable device 105. This screen/display 155B may be generatedby the exercise or sports activity module 130A which may receiveperformance data transmitted to the wearable wireless portable device105A from other wearable wireless portable devices 105B as illustratedin FIG. 1A. In other words, the wearable wireless portable device 105Amay receive data, like competition data 305B, related to or associatedwith other operators of other wearable wireless portable devices 105B.These other WWPDs 105B may be participating in the same exercise orsports activity of the operator of the wearable wireless portable device105A.

Such performance data may include, but is not limited to, geographicallocations of other athletes or exercisers that may be shown on display155. In one embodiment, specific metrics of other athletes andexercisers such as calories burned, current speed, and current exerciseor athletic rate, etc. may be shown on the display 155. In this way, thewearable wireless portable device 105 may foster competition amongmultiple athletes and/or exercisers in which these people may besignificantly geographically diverse (separate from one another). Thisincludes people comparing performance data to others, who may live andcompete in different towns, cities, states, countries, etc.

In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the exercise orathletic activity data 305A of the operator of the wearable wirelessportable device 105A may include information relating to the activity ofbicycling. The athletic data 305A shown on display 155B may includeinformation such as but not limited to, distance traversed by theoperator during the activity, the amount of calories burned during theactivity, the current heart rate of the operator, and the average speedin miles per hour (MPH).

As noted previously, the exercise or sports activity module 130A mayalso track and monitor benchmarks associated with stored data such asbenchmarks recorded and stored at a server 111 by famous or noteworthyathletes. In one embodiment, the exercise or sports activity module 130Amay provide a continuous comparison of a current exercise or sportsactivity of the operator of the wearable wireless portable device 105Ato stored results of a famous or noteworthy athlete. The famous athletemay have uploaded and stored his or her exercise or sports activity data(also referred to as performance data throughout this document).

In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the competition data305B may include benchmarks set by a famous athlete. In this particularexample, the famous athlete is in the bicycling field. This competitiondata 305B may have the same parameters as the athletic activity data305A. In this particular example, the competition data 305B alsoincludes distance traversed by the athlete at the same location as theoperator during the activity, the amount of calories burned during theactivity at the same stage for the athlete, the recorded heart rate ofthe athlete at the same stage of the activity, and the recorded averagespeed in miles per hour for the athlete at the same stage of activity.

As described above, the competition data 305B may also include real-timeinformation of another operator of a wearable wireless portable device105B. If the operator Jane was racing the operator Vance Legstrong in alive or current activity, then the athletic activity data 305A andcompetition data 305B would be current, and the parameters for theathletic activity being monitored by the two or more wearable wirelessportable devices 105A, 105B would change.

In addition to the exercise data 305A and the competition data 305B, thewearable wireless portable device 105, and specifically, the exercise orsports activity module 130A may also provide recommendations 305C to theoperator so the exercise data 305A may become closer to the competitiondata 305B or possibly exceed the competition data 305B. For example, ifJane Doe is in a race against the operator Vance Legstrong, then theexercise module may try to help Jane win against Vance. In oneembodiment, the exercise or sports activity module 130A may compare theexercise data 305A to the competition data 305B. The exercise or sportsactivity module 130A may also determine that if the operator of the WWPD105A increases their average speed by at least six miles per hour, thenthe operator may be able to keep up with their competition in theathletic activity being tracked by the competition data 305B.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a screen 155C for displaying a location of thewearable wireless portable device 105A on a map 400 relative togeographical elements. Geographical elements may include streets 426,428 and the screen 155C may show a first WWPD 105A relative to otherlocations 422, 424 of second and third WWPDs 105B, 105C. In oneembodiment, the map 400 may be generated by the GPS module 120A incombination with the exercise or sports activity module 130A.

As noted above, the GPS module 120A may also transmit calculatedgeographical coordinates of the WWPD 105A over the wirelesscommunications network 142 to the server 111 using the RF transceiver115. In this way, a map 400 may be displayed on other devices 105B and107 that shows real-time geographical coordinates of the WWPD 105A. Inmap 400, the operator of the wearable wireless portable device 105A isdesignated by reference character 420. Meanwhile, other wearablewireless portable devices 105B, 105C have transmitted their respectivegeographical locations as indicated by reference characters 422 and 424.These coordinates of the WWPDs 105A, 105B, and 105C may be processed andtracked by the exercise or sports activity module 130A and the GPSmodule 120A.

The wearable wireless portable devices 105A, 105B, and 105C arerepresented with oval icons as illustrated in FIG. 4. However, othertypes of icons that may designate the type of activity being monitoredmay be used as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Forexample, instead of the ovals used in FIG. 4, bicycle-shaped icons orrunner-shaped icons may be used to denote bicycling or running. Othericon shapes and types representative of other activities may be used asunderstood by one of ordinary skill in the art.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a screen 500 of a remote portable computingdevice 107 for displaying a location of the wearable wireless portabledevice 105A relative to geographical elements such as streets 426, 428.Screen 500 may be generated based on the coordinates received from a GPSmodule 120A and information received from the personal security module135A of wearable wireless portable device 105A.

The portable computing device 107 may be coupled to the server 111 viathe wireless communications network 142. Screen 500 may be generated inresponse to the alert function supported by the personal security module135A which allows the operator of the wearable wireless portable device105A to send an alert status to the server 111. These alerts may causethe portable computing device 107 to start tracking or monitoring thestatus of the first wearable wireless portable device 105A.

In one embodiment, the personal security module 135A may support analert feature that does not require immediate action with respect to aparty monitoring the location of the wearable wireless portable device105A, such as a party reviewing screen 500 of FIG. 5. This alert featureonly may require the party who has access to the server 111 to startfocusing on the location and movement of the wearable wireless portabledevice 105A.

For example, Jane Doe is a bicyclist who decided to generate a firstalert 105A1 at time 3:20 pm on Sep. 30, 2010 as illustrated in FIG. 5.Jane activated this alert by pressing the alert button (e.g., userinterface element 160A of FIG. 2). After traveling from locationdesignated by the first alert 105A1 in FIG. 5, Jane decided to cancelthe alert status by pressing the alert button (i.e., user interfaceelement 160A of FIG. 2) when she reached the second alert locationindicated by the second alert 105A2 at 3:25 pm in FIG. 5. Jane decidedto cancel the alert since she felt she was riding in a safer areacompared to the location of her first alert 105A1 of FIG. 5.

The GPS module 120A of a WWPD 105A may continuously transmit itslocation to the server 111 such that this continuous movement data maybe displayed in screen 500 for the remote portable computing device 107.Screen 500 may support various user interfaces that allow an operator tocommunicate with the operator of the wearable wireless portable device105A.

For example, the first user interface element 505 of the screen 500 mayinclude a push-to-text feature that allows the operator of the portablecomputing device 107 to send text or simple messaging service (“SMS”)messages to the operator of the wearable wireless portable device 105A.A second user interface element 510 may include an on-screen button thatallows the operator of the portable computing device 107 to get incontact with first responders such as police, fire, and rescuedepartments. Other user interface elements may be used as understood byone of ordinary skill in the art.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method 600 for tracking exerciseand personal security with a wearable wireless portable communicationdevice. Block 605 is the first step of the method 600 in which theexercise or sports activity module 130A may receive a selection of thetype of exercise that an operator of the wearable wireless portabledevice 105 desires to track. Next, in block 610 the personal securitymodule 135A may receive a selection of one or more options forgenerating alerts that are transmitted to the server 111 over thewireless communications network 142. Such options that may be selectedinclude the exemplary first user interface element 160A as illustratedin FIG. 2 in which an operator of the wearable wireless portable device105 may activate an alert by selecting or touching the “alert button” onthe screen/display 155A.

Next, in block 615, the biological or physiological monitor module 125Aand/or the exercise or sports activity module 130A may display one ormore biological or physiological outputs on the display 155A. Forexample, a heart rate 182 may be displayed on the screen/display 155A asillustrated in FIG. 2. However, other physiological outputs and/orcalculated parameters, like calories burned, etc. may be displayed asoptions selected by the operator. For example, an operator may decide toselect options for displaying heart rate and calories burnedsimultaneously on the screen/display 155A.

In block 620, the wearable wireless portable device 105 may periodicallytransmit the tracked biological or physiological outputs as well as thegeographical location of the wearable wireless portable device 105 (asdetermined by the GPS module 120A) to the server 111. In block 625D, theuser interface module 160 may provide user interface elements forpersonal security such as the first and second user interface elements160A, 160B as illustrated in FIG. 2.

As described above, the first user interface element 160A may be relatedto an alert function that may be selectable by the operator of thewearable wireless portable device 105. The second user interface element160B may support an emergency call function as described above. Otherpersonal security functions that may be tracked by the wearable wirelessportable device 105 are included as understood to one of ordinary skillin the art.

In decision block 630, the personal security module 135A may determineif an alert function has been selected by the operator of the wearablewireless portable device 105. If the inquiry to decision block 630 isnegative, then the “NO” branch is followed to decision block 640. If theinquiry to decision block 630 is positive, then the “YES” branch isfollowed to block 635 in which the personal security module 135A maytransmit an alert to the server 111 that may be translated into agraphical display such as screen 500 and specifically, the first alert105A1 as illustrated in FIG. 5.

Next, in decision block 640, the RF transceiver module 115 incombination with the central processing unit 390 may determine if theoperator of the wearable wireless portable device 105 desires to conducta telephone call. If the inquiry to decision block 640 is negative, thenthe “NO” branch is followed to decision block 650. If the inquiry todecision block 640 is positive, then the “YES” branch is followed toblock 645 in which the RF transceiver 115 establishes callcommunications with the server 111 and/or a cellular telephone networkor wireless communications network 142. Decision block 640 may alsocorrespond with an operator selecting the “Push-to-Talk” featurecorresponding to the user interface element 160E as illustrated in FIG.2.

In decision block 650, the CPU 390 and/or the RF transceiver 115 maydetermine if the wearable wireless portable device 105 is receiving aninbound call communications from the server 111 or from a cellularcommunications network or wireless communications network 142. If theinquiry to decision block 650 is negative, then the “NO” branch isfollowed to decision block 670. If the inquiry to decision block 650 ispositive, then the “YES” branch is followed to block 655 in which one ormore options may be displayed on the display 155 to explain how theoperator of the wearable wireless portable device 105 may handle aparticular call. For example, an operator may elect to take the call andactivate the speaker 150. Alternatively, the operator may choose toignore the call and transfer the call to a voicemail-to-text featuresupported by the server 111.

In decision block 660, the CPU 390 may determine if a selection was madeby the operator of the wearable wireless portable device 105 to acceptthe inbound call. If the inquiry to decision block 660 is negative, thenthe “NO” branch is followed to decision block 670. If the inquiry todecision block 660 is positive, then the “YES” branch is followed toblock 665 in which call communications are established with the server111 and/or a respective cellular telephone communication network orwireless communications network 142.

In decision block 670, the GPS module 120A and or the exercise or sportsactivity module 130A may determine if an operator has selected an optionto display a map and/or competition data. If the inquiry to decisionblock 670 is negative, then the “NO” branch is followed to decisionblock 680. If the inquiry to decision block 670 is positive, then the“YES” branch is followed to block 675. In this step, map 400 of FIG. 4may be displayed with a current location of the operator such aslocation 420 and the locations 422, 424 of other users.

In decision block 680, the entertainment module 140 may determine if anoperator of the wearable wireless portable device 105 has selected anentertainment option. For example, an operator may select playing anaudio file like an MP3 type audio file and or a video file in thisblock. If the inquiry to decision block 680 is negative, then the method600 ends. If the inquiry to decision block 680 is positive, then the“YES” branch is followed to block 685. In this block 685, theentertainment module 140 may execute one or more of the selectedentertainment options, such as playing an audio file, a video file, or agame. The method 600 proceeds to the last block and then ends.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method 700 for processing exercisedata and personal security data generated by one or more wearablewireless portable devices. The first block in the method 700 which istypically executed by the server 111 is block 705. In block 705, theserver 111 may receive biological or physiological outputs correspondingto the options selected by the operator of a wearable wireless portabledevice 105 that are transmitted over the wireless communications network142 to the server 111.

Next, in block 710, the server 111 may receive the current location ofone or more wearable wireless portable devices 105 that are generated byrespective GPS modules 120A. In block 715, the server 111 may processthe biological and/or physiological outputs according to the selectedexercise option and store these results in memory. For example, theserver 111 may track and compare the current biological and orphysiological outputs being transmitted over the wireless communicationsnetwork 142 to base-line measurements and/or readings in order todetermine if there are any problems for the operator of the wearablewireless portable device 105.

Subsequently, in decision block 720, the server may determine 110 if ithas received one or more security alerts from one or more wearablewireless portable devices 105. If the inquiry to decision block 720 isnegative, then the “NO” branch is followed to decision block 735. If theinquiry to decision block 720 is positive, then the “YES” branch isfollowed to block 725 in which the server 111 processes the alertaccording to preselected options and/or perimeters transmitted from thewearable wireless portable device 105A.

In this block 725, the server 111 may generate screen 500 of FIG. 5 andprovide the interactive user interface elements 505 and 510 that may beselectable by the operator of the portable computing device 107. Inblock 730, the server 111 may relay the alert to one or more preselectedusers such as one or more other wearable wireless portable devices 105B,105C such as illustrated in FIG. 1A and FIG. 4.

Next, in decision block 735, the server 111 or a cellular telephonenetwork or wireless communications network 142 may determine if theoperator of the wearable wireless portable device 105 desires to conducta call. This call may include the “Push-to-Talk” feature described aboveand/or a conventional cellular telephone network call.

If the inquiry to decision block 735 is negative, then the “NO” branchis followed to decision block 745. If the inquiry to decision block 735is positive, then the “YES” branch is followed to block 740 in which acall communication for the wearable wireless portable device isestablished with a cellular telephone network, wireless communicationsnetwork 142 and/or a server 111.

In decision block 745, a server 111 and/or cellular phone network orwireless communications network 142 may determine if a call has beenreceived for retransmission to a wearable wireless portable device 105.If the inquiry to decision block 745 is negative, then the “NO” branchis followed to decision block 765. If the inquiry to decision block 745is positive, then the “YES” branch is followed to block 750 in which theserver 111 and/or cellular telephone network or wireless communicationsnetwork 142 relays the phone call to the wearable wireless portabledevice 105.

In decision block 755, the server 111 and/or cellular phonecommunication network may determine if the wearable wireless portabledevice 105 will accept the relayed call. If the inquiry to decisionblock 755 is negative, then the “NO” branch is followed to decisionblock 765. If the inquiry to decision block 755 is positive, then the“YES” branch is followed to block 760 in which the server 111 and/orcellular-phone communication network or wireless communications network142 establishes the call with the wearable wireless portable device 105.

Next, in decision block 765, the server 111 may determine if the server111 has received a signal to display a map and or competition data forother wearable wireless portable devices 105. The signal may begenerated by the GPS module 120A and/or the exercise or sports activitymodule 130A of a wearable wireless portable device 105.

If the inquiry to decision block 765 is negative, then the “NO” branchis followed in which the process/method 700 ends. If the inquiry todecision block 765 is positive, then the “YES” branch is followed toblock 770 in which the server 111 may transmit geographical coordinatesand/or competition data of other users to the wearable wireless portabledevice 105. These geographical coordinates may allow the GPS module 120Ato generate the screen 155C as illustrated in FIG. 4. The competitiondata may allow the exercise or sports activity module 130A to producethe screen/display 155B as illustrated in FIG. 3. The process/method 700then ends.

The wearable wireless portable device (“WWPD”) 105 may be a compact andlightweight device that includes WAN communications circuitry (e.g.,cellular transceiver, etc.) for establishing a direct connection to atelecommunication network and a low-power short range radio (e.g., WiFior Bluetooth® radio) for establishing an indirect connection to thetelecommunication network via the communications circuitry of the morefeature-rich mobile device. The WWPD 105 may be configured tocommunicate with a more feature-rich mobile device (e.g., smartphone,etc.) via low-power short range communication technologies when it is inclose proximity to the mobile device, and activate the WANcommunications circuitry to provide cellular or similar wireless networkconnectivity when it is not in close proximity to the mobile device.Since the WAN communications circuitry is energized only when the WWPD105 is not in close proximity to the mobile device (i.e., when it cannotuse a low-power short range communication in order to user resources andcommunicate via the WAN circuitry of the mobile device), WWPD 105 doesnot require the bulky battery systems typically included in smartphonesand other feature rich mobile devices. This enables the WWPD 105 to bepackaged into a small and lightweight device, such as a wrist watch orpendant.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating communication links andinformation flows between an embodiment wearable wireless portabledevice (“WWPD”) 105 in the form a wrist display 800 and a portablecomputing device in the form of a smart phone 802. The WWPD 105 and thesmart phone 802 may communicate via low-power short-range wirelesscommunication links 804. In various embodiments, the low-power shortrange communication links 804 may be WiFi, Bluetooth® low energy (BLE),ANT, ANT Plus, PeaNUT®, or ZigBee® communication links. In anembodiment, the low-power short range communication links 804 may beBluetooth® communication links.

Generally, Bluetooth® technology provides a power-efficient (i.e., lowpower) and secure way to connect and exchange information betweenelectronic devices (e.g., headphones, cellular phones, watches, laptops,remote controls, etc.). Because many of the services offered overBluetooth® can expose private data and/or allow the connecting party tocontrol the connected device, Bluetooth® may require that devices firstestablish a “trust relationship” before they are allowed to connect toone another. This trust relationship may be established via a processcalled “pairing.”

In an embodiment, the WWPD 105 and/or smart phone 802 may be configuredto automatically initiate the pairing operations and establishBluetooth® communication links 804 when they are moved to within acertain distance (e.g., 100 meters, etc.) of each other, referred toherein as the communication distance. Due to the low-power andrelatively short range characteristics of Bluetooth®, such Bluetooth®communication links 804 are referred to herein as a low-power shortrange communication link. However, such power-efficient communicationlinks may be established using other technologies, such as WiFi,PeaNUT®, etc., each of which are encompassed within the term low-powershort range communication link used herein.

In various embodiments, the WWPD 105 and/or smart phone 802 may eachinclude a memory storing pairing information relating to a current orpreviously established pairing in a memory. The stored pairinginformation may include a name field, an address field, a link keyfield, and other similar fields (e.g., profile type, etc.) useful forauthenticating the devices and/or establishing the low-power short rangecommunication link 804. In an embodiment, WWPD 105 and/or smart phone802 may store the pairing information in a paired device list (PDL).

The WWPD 105 and/or the smart phone 802 may be configured to use locallystored pairing information to automatically establish the low-powershort range communication link 804 when they are in close proximity toeach other, without further authentication or user interaction. Afterthe low-power short range communication link 804 is established, theWWPD 105 may communicate with the smart phone 802 via the low-powershort range communication link 804. For example, the smart phone 802 mayrelay incoming communications and/or alerts to the WWPD 105 over thelow-power short range communication link 804. Incoming communicationsmay include voice calls (e.g., PSTN call, VOIP call, cellular call,etc.), text based messages (e.g., SMS, e-mail), social media messages(e.g., Facebook® notification, Tweet®, etc.), recorded messages (e.g., arecorded voice message from a YagattaTalk® user), and applicationreminders (e.g., E-bay® auction notification, remote based calendarapplication reminder, etc.).

In an embodiment, the smart phone 802 may be configured to generate analert message in response to receiving an incoming communication. Thealert message may include information pertaining to the receivedcommunication, such as communication type (i.e., call, text message,e-mail), the sender/caller identification (ID), an urgency indicator(e.g., a flag, classification, or other description), information aboutthe device originating the incoming communication, a text message, etc.The smart phone 802 may send the generated alert message to the WWPD 105via the low-power short range communication link 804. The WWPD 105 mayreceive the alert message, select a suitable user notification method(e.g., a vibration, series of vibrations, displayed graphic, etc.), andinform the user of the incoming communication via the selected usernotification method. User notification methods may include an audionotification method (e.g., playing a sound, etc.), a visual notificationmethod (e.g., displaying a pop-up message, image, etc.), and/or a hapticnotification method (e.g., generating a vibration).

In various embodiments, the WWPD 105 may be configured to control any orall of the features, functions, and operations of the smart phone 802via the low-power short range communication link 804. For example, theWWPD 105 may be configured to detect inputs from user interactions witha graphical user interface and/or sensors (e.g., accelerometersconfigured to detect a tap) of the WWPD 105, generate messages fortransmission to the smart phone 802 based on the detected inputs, andsend the generated message to the smart phone 802 over the low-powershort range communication link 804. The smart phone 802 may receive thegenerated messages and perform operations based on the received messageand/or detected inputs. For example, the WWPD 105 may be configured todetect a user input (e.g., voice command, actuating a button, etc.) forestablishing a voice call, generate a command message instructing thesmart phone 802 to establish a connection to a telecommunicationnetwork, and send the command message to the smart phone 802 to causethe smart phone 802 to establish a connection to the telecommunicationnetwork for achieving the voice call. As a further example, during avoice call, the WWPD 105 may relay detected sounds to the smart phone802 for transmission over the telecommunication network.

In an embodiment, the WWPD 105 may be configured to establish anindirect connection to the telecommunication network (i.e., use thenetwork connectivity of the smartphone 802) by default or when possible,such as when the low-power short range communication link 804 isavailable. It is also contemplated that the indirect connection to thetelecommunication network may be initiated by to mobile device such assmartphone 802.

In an embodiment, the WWPD 105 may be configured to establish a directconnection after determining an indirect connection is not available,such as when the low-power short range communication link 804 cannot beestablished.

FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment mobile device method 900 ofestablishing a communication link with a wearable wireless portabledevice (“WWPD”) 105. The mobile device method 900 may be performed in aprocessor of a wireless-enabled mobile device, such as a smartphone.

In block 902, a mobile device processor may receive a pairingadvertisement message from a WWPD 105 indicating that the WWPD 105 is inpairing range of the mobile device. In determination block 904, themobile device processor may determine whether the WWPD 105 is listed ina paired device list stored on a memory of the mobile device. If themobile device processor determines that the WWPD 105 is listed in apaired device list (i.e., determination block 904=“Yes”), in block 916,the mobile device processor may establish a low-power short rangecommunication link with the WWPD 105. In an embodiment, this may beaccomplished via a radio frequency (RF) circuitry implementing theBluetooth® protocol stack/interface.

If the mobile device processor determines that the WWPD 105 is notlisted in a paired device list (i.e., determination block 904=“No”), inblock 908, the mobile device processor may generate a display message onan electronic display of the mobile computing device prompting the userto input authentication information for pairing the WWPD 105. In block910, the mobile device processor may receive user input selecting and/orauthenticating the WWPD 105. In block 912, the mobile device processormay initiate the pairing sequence with the WWPD 105. In block 914, themobile device processor and the WWPD 105 may establish a trustrelationship (i.e., pairing) by exchanging pairing and authenticationinformation.

In block 916, the mobile device processor may establish a low-powershort range communication link with the WWPD 105. Also as part of block916 (or block 914), the mobile device processor may store the pairingand authentication information in the paired device list (PDL) inassociation with the authenticated WWPD 105.

In block 918, the mobile device processor may receive a control messageover the established low-power short range communication linkinstructing the mobile device to establish a connection to thetelecommunications network. In block 920, the mobile device processormay establish a network connection to the telecommunications network inresponse to receiving the control message. For example, the mobiledevice processor may activate and/or use a cellular transceiver or WANcircuitry to establish the network connection. In this particularembodiment and in some other embodiments disclosed herein, it iscontemplated that the mobile device processor establishes a networkconnection for the WWPD that is distinguishable from that normallyestablished by the mobile device for connection of itself to thetelecommunications network. This may prove useful for billing, etc. Inother embodiments disclosed herein, it is assumed that the mobile devicehas already established a network connection and therefore no controlmessage from the WWPD is necessary to establish a network connection forthe mobile device.

In block 922, the mobile device processor may receive data from the WWPD105 over the low-power short range communication link. In block 924, themobile device processor may relay the received data to a servertelecommunication network via the network connection. In block 926, themobile device processor may receive information from the server in thetelecommunication network via the network connection in response torelaying the data. In block 928, the mobile device processor may relaythe received information to the WWPD 105.

FIG. 10A illustrates an embodiment WWPD method 1000 that may beimplemented in a processor in a WWPD for establishing a connection to atelecommunications network. In determination block 1002, the WWPDprocessor may determine whether there is an active low-power short rangecommunication link to a mobile device. If the WWPD processor determinesthat there is an active low-power short range communication link to amobile device (i.e., determination block 1002=“Yes”), in block 1004, theWWPD processor may send a control message to the mobile device over theactive low-power short range communication link instructing the mobiledevice to establish a connection to the telecommunications network. Whenthe WWPD processor determines that there are no active low-power shortrange communication links to the mobile device (i.e., determinationblock 1002=“No”), in block 1006, the WWPD processor may broadcast apairing advertisement message, which may be accomplished via an RFradio. In determination block 1008, the WWPD processor may determinewhether the mobile device is in pairing range and/or whether a low-powershort range communication link to the mobile device can be establishedby waiting for a response to the broadcasted pairing advertisementmessage.

If the WWPD processor determines that the mobile device is in pairingrange and/or a low-power short range communication link can beestablished to the mobile device (i.e., determination block 1008=“Yes”),in block 1010, the WWPD processor may establish a low-power short rangecommunication link to the mobile device. In block 1004, the WWPDprocessor may send a control message to the mobile device over theactive low-power short range communication link instructing the mobiledevice to establish a connection to the telecommunications network.

If the WWPD processor determines that mobile device is not in pairingrange or that a low-power short range communication link cannot beestablished to the mobile device (i.e., determination block 1008=“No”),in block 1012, the WWPD processor may activate or energize cellularand/or WAN communications circuitry. In block 1014, the WWPD 105 mayestablish a direct communications link to the telecommunication networkvia the activated/energized communications circuitry.

FIG. 10B illustrates another embodiment method 1050 that may beimplemented in a processor in a WWPD for establishing a connection to atelecommunications network. In block 1052, the WWPD processor mayadvertise and/or listen for a low-power short range communicationsignal. In determination block 1054, the WWPD processor may determinewhether an active low-power short range communication link can beestablished to a mobile device.

If the WWPD processor determines that an active low-power short rangecommunication link cannot be established to a mobile device (i.e.,determination block 1054=“No”), in block 1058, the WWPD processor mayenergize and/or activate cellular and/or WAN communication circuitry ofthe WWPD 105 to connect to a telecommunication network. In block 1060,the WWPD processor may send and receive information to and from thetelecommunication network via the activated/energized cellular and/orWAN communication circuitry.

If the WWPD processor determines that an active low-power short rangecommunication link can be established to a mobile device (i.e.,determination block 1054=“Yes”), in block 1062, the WWPD processor mayestablish a low-power short range communication link to the mobiledevice. In block 1064, the WWPD processor may de-energize the cellularand/or WAN communication radios and circuitry of the WWPD 105, if suchcircuits are then active/energized. In block 1066, the WWPD processormay send and receive information to and from the telecommunicationnetwork via the short range communication link using the communicationcircuitry of the mobile device (e.g., a smart phone 802).

In an embodiment, the WWPD 105 may be configured to automaticallyenergize circuitry for establishing a direct connection to thetelecommunications network when the low-power short range communicationlink 804 is terminated, such as when the WWPD 105 is moved beyond thecommunication range of the smart phone 802.

In an embodiment, the WWPD 105 may be configured to automaticallyde-energize the circuitry for establishing a direct connection to thetelecommunications network when the low-power short range communicationlink 804 is re-established, such as when the WWPD 105 is moved back intocommunication range of the smart phone 802 (i.e., determination block1054=“Yes”).

In an embodiment, the WWPD 105 may be configured to intelligently selectwireless communication method to utilize and/or the types ofcommunication links to establish for connecting to thetelecommunications network. That is, because the WWPD 105 may includeboth circuitry for establishing a direct connection to thetelecommunication network (e.g., via the cellular/WAN circuitry) andcircuitry for establishing indirect connections to the telecommunicationnetwork (e.g., via Bluetooth® radio to a mobile device). In anembodiment, the WWPD 105 may be configured to intelligently determinewhich circuitry to activate, which types of communication links toestablish, and/or which communication methods to utilize. Theintelligent selection of the wireless communication method may includedetermining which communication method is the most energy efficient,provides the best quality of service, is most cost effective, etc.

FIG. 10C illustrates another embodiment method 1070 that may beimplemented in a processor in a WWPD for establishing a connection to atelecommunications network. In block 1072, the WWPD processor mayadvertise and/or listen for a low-power short range communication signalfrom a mobile device. In determination block 1074, the WWPD processormay determine, based on responses to advertisements or receivedlow-power short range signals, whether an active low-power short rangecommunication link can be established to a mobile device.

If the WWPD processor determines that an active low-power short rangecommunication link cannot be established to a mobile device (i.e.,determination block 1074=“No”), in block 1076, the WWPD processor mayenergize and/or activate various device resources, such as a GPSreceiver, a communication bus, a processor, voltage rail, etc. In block1078, the WWPD processor may activate cellular and/or WAN communicationcircuitry of the WWPD 105 to connect to a telecommunication network.

If the WWPD processor determines that an active low-power short rangecommunication link can be established to a mobile device (i.e.,determination block 1074=“Yes”), in block 1080, the WWPD processor mayestablish a low-power short range communication link to the mobiledevice. In block 1082, the WWPD processor may selectively power downduplicate functionality of the communication device in response todetermining that a wireless connection has been established to thesecond communication device. For example, the WWPD processor mayde-energize various device resources, such as cellular and/or WANcommunication radios and circuitry of the WWPD 105, a GPS receiver, acommunication bus, a processor, voltage rail, etc. De-energizing suchresources may be acceptable because the WWPD processor can use resourcesof the mobile device, such as the GPS receiver, WAN radios, andcircuitry on the mobile device.

De-energizing such resources in block 1082 reduces the power consumptionof the WWPD, thereby enabling its battery size to be reduced,particularly for wearable devices that are expected to be used in closeproximity to a mobile device a majority of the time (e.g., a wrist watchdevice). In an embodiment, as part of block 1082, the WWPD processor mayreceive a communication message from the mobile device that includesinformation suitable for use in determining the duplicatefunctionalities (i.e., the functionalities of the WWPD that are or maybe duplicated or performed by the mobile device) that may be powereddown in response to establishing a wireless connection to the mobiledevice. In block 1084, the WWPD processor may send and receiveinformation to and from the telecommunication network via the shortrange communication link using the WAN communication circuitry andresources of the mobile device (e.g., a smart phone 802).

Various embodiments may include a first device that is capable of mobileoperation and operable to communicate information, wirelessly, directlyto a wide area network (WAN) or indirectly, via a wireless connection toa second device capable of mobile operation and connected wirelessly tosaid WAN. The first device being may be further operable to selectivelypower-down/de-energize/deactivate duplicate functionality on said firstdevice that is likewise found on said second device in connection with awireless link being established between said first and second devices.The first device may also be operable to perform any of the methodsdiscussed above. For example, the first device may be configured withprocessor executable instructions to perform operations for poweringdown duplicate position location functionality of the first device. Insuch embodiments, first and second devices may exchange information aspart of or following a pairing routine regarding the capabilities andfunctionality of the second device that the first device can rely on.The first device may use such information to determine the duplicatefunctionality that can be selectively powered-down. Also, the firstdevice may identify its currently powered functionality to the seconddevice during or after the pairing process to enable the second deviceto identify to the first device functionality that it can be selectivelypowered-down.

FIG. 11 is a component block diagram illustrating an example wearablewireless portable device (“WWPD”) 105 in the form of a wrist display1100. A wrist display 1100 may include a processor 1102 coupled to avolatile and/or non-volatile internal memory 1104, which may be secureand/or encrypted memories, unsecure and/or unencrypted memories, or anycombination thereof.

The processor 1102 may also be coupled to an electronic display screen1106, which may be a touch screen display (e.g., resistive-sensing touchscreen, capacitive-sensing touch screen, infrared sensing touch screen,etc.). The wrist display 1100 may include wide area network (WAN)communications circuitry, such as one or more transceivers 1114, such asa cellular telephone transceiver or LTE radio module, coupled to anantenna 1108 for sending and receiving electromagnetic radiation. TheWAN transceiver 1114 and antenna 1108 may be used to communicateinformation over a cellular communications network. The wrist display1100 also includes low-power short range communication circuitry 1114,such as a Bluetooth® transceiver 1113, coupled to the processor 1102.The low-power short range communication circuitry 1114 may be configuredto communicate with a compatible transceiver in a mobile device usingone or more of Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi, Peanut®, IEEE 802.15.4 ZigBee®(i.e.,), ANT or other low power wireless communication protocolcurrently available or which may be developed in the future.

The wrist display 1100 may further include a slide sensor 1110 andphysical buttons 1112 for receiving user inputs. The wrist display 1100may also include a battery 1116 coupled to an inductive charging circuit1118, and a coil antenna 1120 which may be an inductive coil adapted toenable inductive charging of the battery 1116. The battery 1116 andinductive charging circuit 1118 may be coupled to the processor 1102 toenable the wrist display 1100 to control inductive charging and generatemessages via the coil antenna 1120. The wrist display 1100 may furtherinclude a vibratory motor 1122, and various sensors (e.g., gyroscopes,accelerometers, pedometers, thermometers, thermocouples, etc.) 1130, allof which may be coupled to the processor 1102.

The wrist display 1100 may include a global positioning system receiver1130 that is coupled to the processor 1102 and which supports UnitedStates Global Positioning System (GPS) or other global navigation orsatellite positioning systems, such as the Russian GLONASS system andthe European Galileo System. The wrist display 1100 may also include abiological or physiological sensor 1132 configured to monitor one ormore physiological parameters, such as heart rate, variability in heartrate, breathing rate, arrhythmia of the heart (if any), general rhythmand functioning of the heart, blood pressure, body movements (i.e.,physical activity), steps taken (e.g., a pedometer), body position, bodytemperature, presence and quantity of sweat, oxygenation, etc. Suchsensor(s) 1132 may be coupled to the processor 1102.

The electrical components of the wrist display 1100 may be integratedand coupled together using surface mount technologies in whichcomponents are mounted or placed directly onto the surface of a printedcircuit board 1126, on a conventional circuit board 1126 withthrough-board connections, multi-chip modules, system on chips (SoC), orany other electrical component mounting, manufacturing, or electronicstechnology that is currently known or which may be developed in thefuture.

The electrical components of the wrist display 1100 may be integratedwithin a package encompassed by a bezel 1140 surrounding the electronicdisplay screen 1106 that is coupled to a wrist band 1142 so that it canbe worn by a user like an ordinary watch.

Various embodiments may be implemented on a variety of mobile devices,an example of which is illustrated in FIG. 12. Specifically, FIG. 12 isa system block diagram of a mobile transceiver device in the form of afeature-rich smartphone/cell phone 1200 suitable for use with any of theembodiments. The smartphone 1200 may include a processor 1202 coupled tointernal memory 1204, a display 1206, and to a speaker 1208.Additionally, the smartphone 1200 may include one or more transceivers1224, radios (e.g., RF radio) 1226 and/or antennas 1210 for sending andreceiving electromagnetic radiation that may be connected to a wirelessdata link and coupled to the processor 1202. The radios 1226,transceivers 1224, and/or antennas 1210 may be used to communicateinformation over a cellular communications network and/or to implementthe Wi-Fi/Bluetooth® protocol stacks or interfaces (e.g., the smartphone1200 may be Wi-Fi and Bluetooth®-enabled, etc.). The transceivers 1224may include, or may be coupled to, one or more built-in low power and/orcellular radio systems, including a cellular telephone transceiver, LTEradio module, Bluetooth radio, a Wi-Fi radio, a peanut radio, a ZigBeetransceiver (i.e., an IEEE 802.15.4 transceiver), ANT or ANT radio,and/or other low power and/or cellular radio systems currently availableor which may be developed in the future.

Smartphones 1200 typically also include menu selection buttons or rockerswitches 1214 for receiving user inputs. The smartphone 1200 may alsoinclude a sound encoding/decoding (CODEC) circuit 1216 that digitizessound received from a microphone into data packets suitable for wirelesstransmission and decodes received sound data packets to generate analogsignals that are provided to the speaker 1208 to generate sound. Also,one or more of the processor 1202, wireless/cellular transceiver 1212and CODEC 1216 may include a digital signal processor (DSP) circuit (notshown separately). The cell phone 1200 may further include a ZigBeetransceiver (i.e., an IEEE 802.15.4 transceiver) 1218 and/or othersimilar communication circuitry (e.g., circuitry implementing theBluetooth® or Wi-Fi protocols, etc.) for achieving low-power short-rangewireless communications.

The smartphone 1200 may also include a positioning system receiver 1220that supports the United States GPS or other GNSS or SPSs, such as theRussian GLONASS system and the European Galileo System. The cell phone1200 may further include a battery 1228. The smartphone 1200 may alsoinclude various sensors 1222, including gyroscopes, accelerometers,pedometers, thermometers, thermocouples, and a biological orphysiological monitor configured to monitor one or more physiologicalparameters.

The electrical components of the smartphone 1200 may be coupled togetheron one or more circuit boards 1230 using surface mount technologies,through-hole technologies, embedded technologies, multi-chip modules,system on chips, or any other mounting, manufacturing, or electronicstechnology that is currently known or will be developed in the future.The electrical components and circuit boards 1230 may be enclosed withina housing or case 1232.

The processors 1102, 1202 may be any programmable microprocessor,microcomputer or multiple processor chip or chips that can be configuredby software instructions (applications) to perform a variety offunctions, including the functions of the various embodiments describedbelow. In some mobile devices, multiple processors 1202 may be provided,such as one processor dedicated to wireless communication functions andone processor dedicated to running other applications. Typically,software applications may be stored in the internal memory 1104, 1204,before they are accessed and loaded into the processor 1102, 1202. Theprocessor 1102, 1202 may include internal memory sufficient to store theapplication software instructions.

While the various embodiments have been described above with referenceto a wearable wireless portable device, the embodiments may also beimplemented in a number of other types of communication device capableof mobile operation that include the structures and are configured toperform the operations described above.

The foregoing method descriptions and the process flow diagrams areprovided merely as illustrative examples and are not intended to requireor imply that the steps of the various embodiments must be performed inthe order presented. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the artthe order of steps in the foregoing embodiments may be performed in anyorder. Words such as “thereafter,” “then,” “next,” etc. are not intendedto limit the order of the steps; these words are simply used to guidethe reader through the description of the methods. Further, anyreference to claim elements in the singular, for example, using thearticles “a,” “an” or “the” is not to be construed as limiting theelement to the singular.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, andalgorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosedherein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, orcombinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability ofhardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules,circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms oftheir functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented ashardware or software depends upon the particular application and designconstraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans mayimplement the described functionality in varying ways for eachparticular application, but such implementation decisions should not beinterpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the presentinvention.

The hardware used to implement the various illustrative logics, logicalblocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with theembodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with asoftware-configurable processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmablegate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate ortransistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combinationthereof designed to perform the functions described herein. Asoftware-configurable processor may be a microprocessor, but, in thealternative, the processor may be any conventional processor,controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one ormore microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration. Alternatively, some steps or methods may be performed bycircuitry that is specific to a given function.

In one or more exemplary aspects, the functions described may beimplemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof.If implemented in software, the functions may be stored as one or moreinstructions or code on a non-transitory computer-readable medium ornon-transitory processor-readable medium. The steps of a method oralgorithm disclosed herein may be embodied in a processor-executablesoftware module which may reside on a non-transitory computer-readableor processor-readable storage medium. Non-transitory computer-readableor processor-readable storage media may be any storage media that may beaccessed by a computer or a processor. By way of example but notlimitation, such non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readablemedia may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, FLASH memory, CD-ROM or otheroptical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storagedevices, or any other medium that may be used to store desired programcode in the form of instructions or data structures and that may beaccessed by a computer. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compactdisc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD),floppy disk, and Blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce datamagnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers.Combinations of the above are also included within the scope ofnon-transitory computer-readable and processor-readable media.Additionally, the operations of a method or algorithm may reside as oneor any combination or set of codes and/or instructions on anon-transitory processor-readable medium and/or computer-readablemedium, which may be incorporated into a computer program product.

The preceding description of the disclosed embodiments is provided toenable any person skilled in the art to make or use the presentinvention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readilyapparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles definedherein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from thespirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is notintended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to beaccorded the widest scope consistent with the following claims and theprinciples and novel features disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A first device, comprising: wide area network,WAN, communications circuitry; low-power short range communicationcircuitry; and a processor coupled to the WAN communications circuitryand the low-power short range communication circuitry, wherein theprocessor is configured with processor-executable instructions toperform operations comprising: establishing a low-power short rangecommunication link with a second device; establishing a networkconnection to a telecommunication network; providing, to the seconddevice, access to the telecommunication network via the low-power shortrange communication link; performing at least one additionalfunctionality found on the second device; and providing informationassociated with the at least one additional functionality to the seconddevice via the low-power short range communication link.
 2. The firstdevice of claim 1, wherein the at least one additional functionality isselected from the group consisting of heart rate sensor functionality,blood pressure sensor functionality, gyroscope functionality,accelerometer functionality, pedometer functionality, thermometerfunctionality, glucometer functionality and a combination thereof. 3.The first device of claim 1, wherein the at least one additionalfunctionality comprises a position location functionality.
 4. The firstdevice of claim 1, wherein at least one additional functionality isselected from the group consisting of a global positioning satellite,GPS, module, a bio monitor, an exercise module, a personal securitymodule, an entertainment module, a camera, a speaker, a display, a userinterface, a time module, a web browser, and a microphone.
 5. The firstdevice of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured withprocessor-executable instructions to perform operations furthercomprising: receiving from the second device a control message toestablish a network connection to the telecommunication network;establishing the network connection responsive to the control message;and providing via the low-power short range communication linkcommunications between the second device and the telecommunicationnetwork.
 6. The first device of claim 1, wherein the processor isconfigured with processor-executable instructions to perform operationssuch that providing via the low-power short range communication linkcommunications between the second device and the telecommunicationnetwork comprises: providing via the low-power short range communicationlink content from the telecommunication network to the second device. 7.The first device of claim 1, wherein the low-power short rangecommunication link is a Wi-Fi link.
 8. The first device of claim 1,wherein the low-power short range communication link is a Bluetoothlink.
 9. The first device of claim 1, wherein the second devicecomprises a wearable wireless portable device.
 10. A method of wirelesscommunication at a first device, comprising: establishing a low-powershort range communication link with a second device; establishing anetwork connection to a telecommunication network; providing, to thesecond device, access to the telecommunication network via the low-powershort range communication link; performing at least one additionalfunctionality found on the second device; and providing informationassociated with the at least one additional functionality to the seconddevice via the low-power short range communication link.
 11. The methodaccording to claim 10, further comprising receiving from the seconddevice a control message to establish a network connection to thetelecommunication network; establishing the network connectionresponsive to the control message; and providing via the low-power shortrange communication link communications between the second device andthe telecommunication network.
 12. The method according to claim 10,further comprising providing via the low-power short range communicationlink content from the telecommunication network to the second device.13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the at least oneadditional functionality comprises a position location functionality.14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the first device comprisesa smart phone.
 15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the seconddevice comprises a wearable wireless portable device.
 16. Anon-transitory processor-readable storage medium having stored thereonprocessor-executable instructions configured to cause a processor of afirst communication device, wherein the processor is coupled to WANcommunications circuitry and low-power short range communicationcircuitry of the first communication device, to perform operationscomprising: establishing a low-power short range communication link witha second communication device; establishing a network connection to atelecommunication network; providing, to the second communicationdevice, access to the telecommunication network via the low-power shortrange communication link; performing at least one additionalfunctionality found on the second communication device; and providinginformation associated with the at least one additional functionality tothe second communication device via the low-power short rangecommunication link.
 17. The non-transitory processor-readable storagemedium of claim 16, wherein the stored processor-executable instructionsare configured to cause the processor to perform operations furthercomprising receiving from the second communication device a controlmessage to establish a network connection to the telecommunicationnetwork; establishing the network connection responsive to the controlmessage; and providing via the low-power short range communication linkcommunications between the second communication device and thetelecommunication network.
 18. The non-transitory processor-readablestorage medium of claim 16, wherein the stored processor-executableinstructions are configured to cause the processor to perform operationsfurther comprising providing via the low-power short range communicationlink content from the telecommunication network to the secondcommunication device.
 19. The non-transitory processor-readable storagemedium of claim 16, wherein the at least one additional functionalitycomprises a position location functionality.